


Balance

by YaminoTenshi202



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Fictional Science about the Birds and the Bees, M/M, Multi, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-16 09:14:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11825631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaminoTenshi202/pseuds/YaminoTenshi202
Summary: Edd had know that something was different about him, but he didn't think that it would cause this much trouble."Um, Tord... Tom?""No, we're trying to decide who will be yours, damn it!""Edd, tell Tom to stop being a dumbass about it and say you'll be mine!"Edd should have taken his medication. If he had, he wouldn't be thinking about tackling the two to the ground and taking them now.(Corrupted ABO AU!)





	1. Chapter 1

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.  
\- Oscar Wilde

* * *

It was on his birthday that Edd realized that he was different. He had turned ten years old, and the world seemed to change. His birthday party had been on Sunday, and his birthday wasn't too long after. Edd had gone to his room and decided to put off his homework for a while. As he began to draw on the pad of paper that was supported by his new easel, Edd felt something throb through his veins, an energy that he didn't know how to describe with his youthful language. His body felt like it would collapse under the weight of the mysterious feeling, his heart pumping against the wall of his chest cavity. He had the urge to run, catch something, but his mind didn't know what. He hurried and told his mother, who kissed his forehead and felt his face. He was warmer than normal, but his mother didn't seem too concerned until she offered him something to eat.

"No, I'm not hungry... I want to run." His mother blinked a few times, setting down the tray of bacon and beans that their neighbor Margarita had made for Edd's party. Edd knew that usually he would eat the bacon, but something in his body told him not to eat yet. He had to run, had to go after something.

His mother called to schedule an appointment with his pediatrician after he refused a Cola; "just for a check up," she had said.

From that day forward, he wanted to just find the right words for that feeling.

That was a Thursday.

* * *

Edd got to the doctor the next day. His mother and Dr. Munns talked after the doctor had examined him and commented on how healthy he was for a young boy.

"Edd, we're going to take some blood, okay? It's just to check if anything is there that may be causing an infection or hormone imbalance."

"Hormone imbalance?"

"The hormones are chemicals in your body, natural ones, that help you grow, control your energy levels, and other processes in the body." Dr. Munns patted Edd's head. "Don't worry. It'll be quick, and the hormones that we're looking for will show up in no time."

Edd's mother patted his hand when the lab lady came in, Edd grimacing a bit as the needle pierced his skin. His body felt like it needed to run, and he felt himself sweating by the end of it. His mother sighed deeply, holding him and breathing against his forehead.

"Mum?"

"It's nothing, sweetie."

The lab lady left, giving him a lollipop from her pocket. Edd tasted cola.

* * *

"Well, then. Edd, your blood results have come back." Edd swung his legs and his mother patted his leg. The doctor set down the clipboard and pulled his wheeled seat to sit not too far from young Edd.

"Your mother's suspicions were right, Edd. It is a hormone imbalance with your growing hormones. It's not a bad thing, to have your condition, but it can be inconvenient, especially now that you're on your way to secondary school." The doctor handed a piece of paper to Edd, the doctor's signature large and nearly illegible. "This is a prescription to help with symptoms, if they begin to cause your trouble now that you'll be with a bigger class."

Edd didn't know what to say to that, but his mother grabbed the prescription with her shaky fingers.

"Thank you, Dr. Munns."

"Good luck, Edd. I hope you have a good time at the museum." The doctor smiled, but Edd didn't really want to smile back, his cheeks feeling too tight to do that. He did it anyway, thanking the doctor.

His mother placed a supportive hand on his shoulder blade, as though anticipating the feeling that Edd was getting, the dizziness that would now be a part of his life and the desire to sink into the floor.

"Don't worry, dear. It'll be all right." His mum held him in a tight hug as the doctor left to tend to his other patients, probably.

"Am I wrong, Mum?"

"No, dear. Everyone's a bit different." Edd followed his mother from the examination room, trying to think about the artwork that he would see at the museum in just ten minutes (for the drive, of course). He didn't ask what the prescription for medicine was written out to be; his mother was crushing it between her fingers.

* * *

When he got to school on Monday, he had already taken his medication. Edd ran over to where he saw Matt and Tom on the playground, both surely talking about the toys that they had played with on the day of his party that had been on the Sunday before.

He ran over and clasped on Matt's shoulder.

"What's up you guys?! Thanks for the easel, Matt!"

"Hey Edd!" Tom handed him a small box, and Edd smiled. Neither of his friends, Tord nor Tom, had been able to come to his party. Matt came over, explaining that Tord was at a camp for the weekend. Tom's reason was a common one, which was having to help his parents with work. Not many children could say that they helped run a store.

"Thanks, Tom." The three boys were in a little circle as Edd opened his present, Matt asking "What is it?" about thirty times before the present was revealed.

"A new sketchbook!" Edd held it tight against his chest. "Thank you so much, Tom!"

"Of course! It's not everyday you turn ten, you know." Tom smiled at him, coming over to hug him. "Happy birthday, Edd!"

Edd felt something flutter in his chest. His body had that urge to run again, but this time, it was like his body wanted to run into Tom, disappear.

"Hey, friends! What's going on?" Edd turned to the voice, frowning when Tom let go of him. He saw his other friend Tord coming, and Edd felt the urge to vomit in his throat for a moment. His heart was pounding... Wasn't the medication supposed to stop that?!

"Edd, hey! Gratulerer med dagen!" Tord hurried over, cheeks flushed from running. He hung his head down and held out a small wrapped package. Edd smiled.

"Thanks, Tord!" Edd took the package and began to pick at the tape. "How was camp?"

"Ugh... I should have muscles by now..." Tord lifted his head, sporting a new bandage on his face from his training camp.

"Wow!" Edd looked down at the new package of markers that he had received. He looked to Tom and Tord both. "Thanks, you guys!"

"Hey..." Matt teased, pouting.

"You too, Matt!" Edd looked down to his sketchbook and markers, wondering how it could get better than this. "I'm going to draw so many things."

"Sure, Edd! You better draw us on awesome adventures!" Tord suggested, the boy wrapping an arm around Edd's shoulders. Edd shivered at the contact, wondering why his heart kept on thumping so hard when Matt didn't cause this at all.

The bell rang and they were being called inside.

Edd sighed as Tord let go of him. His heart kept on racing.

"You okay, Edd?" Edd nodded, which Tom thankfully accepted as an answer.

"Yeah..."

"If you're sure," Tom said, surrendering to Edd's word. "Let's get inside. I heard that you have make up work from the teacher."

"Oh, dang it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds and bees and butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I am drowning in Eddsworld stuff. The fandom has been lovely so far and I hope that we can continue to enjoy this fandom ride together; thank you for your reception of this first fic for E.W! My friend Devany will be helping out with this. Anaïs Mulder, who is working on animatics over on YouTube, will be doodling for this and other stories; NSFW stuff will be on i-was-born-to-make-trash.tumblr.com. (Password protected to protect the weeble children)  
> *I'm helping Anaïs with a Red Family AU. More on that later.
> 
> The Corrupted ABO AU! is the regular ABO setup but with all of the medical implications and difficulties that can come with hormone changes :)
> 
> Prepare for the Kings AU (short fic talking politics and chess), Crime Lord AU (inspired by the Godfather and real life events - will be longer, definitely one of the darker things that Devany and I will have written), a Smol Edd AU that will be on AO3 and on tumblr (beward-edd-the-smol, run by Anaïs), and a short Saloonatics Edd(Edward)/Tom(Thompson) fic from all of us.
> 
> We love you all.

Arriving to class, Edd hurried to his teacher, who greeted him warmly with a smile before holding up his assignments.

"Here you go, Edd. Here are all of the assignments for maths, history, and English. They're due on Wednesday, so don't worry about having them all done tonight, okay?" Edd nodded and thanked his teacher, heading to his seat.

"Now then, class. We're going to be having the nurse come in to teach about health."

"Why do we have to do that?" asked Matt, who was always eager to get to their music time, which was the second part of the day.

"It's about your bodies and how you grow." The teacher cleared her throat. "I expect you all to be on your best behavior, all right class?"

"Yes, miss!"

"Now then, we have some time to work on any assignments that you have to finish or correct before class starts again at nine o'clock.. We'll start our routine from then. There will be no music time, then, to make up for the difference."

Matt let out a whine.

For the time that they had free, Edd worked with Tord on the new math assignment that he had received. He was trying to figure out the last problem, which Tord had explained to him once already.

"Are you feeling okay, _kattunge_?" Edd nodded, finally seeing where the "x" in the problem was supposed to go to make it into an easier problem that he could solve.

"I'm all right, Tord." The boy in the red hoodie frowned, sniffing slightly.

"If you're sure, _kattunge_... Aha! That's the answer you've been looking for." Tord smiled, picking at the bandage on his face. Edd always wondered why he had it on his face, but he never wanted to make Tord uncomfortable. He always smelled happy around Edd, which Edd always appreciated. It was only when he was around other people, or having to talk to them, that Tord's happiness scent went away. It made his blood tingle now, but it was nice.

"Hey, Edd," Tom called softly. "Do you want to come over and work on homework today? My uncle Narnaatsee said that you could come, do homework together, and have snacks. Maybe dinner?"

"Um, let me call my mum. I'm sure she'll say yes!" Edd put his math assignment away, as the nurses of their school came in.

Then the separation started. A fewchildren in their class were called, boys and girls alike.

Tord was among them.

"Where is Tord going?" Tom asked.

"I don't know." Edd grabbed at Tom's sleeve. "Um, can we sit next to each other?"

"Sure."

The head school nurse was nice. She got the group of boys who hadn't Presented yet.

"What does 'present' mean, miss?"

"That is what we'll go over today, boys." The nurse, warm and smile soft, pressed a videotape into the videocassette player that sat under the television. Out from the speakers came a song that sound like it came from the 1950s- oh, there on the logo. 1956. A voice began to speak to the boys, Edd, Tom, and Matt immediately adjusting themselves for the long haul. A crude picture of an outline of a boy appeared on the screen.

" _So, boys, you've already had lessons on your bodies, how much they have been changing and how much they will change, huh_?"

Tom made a soft retching noise that had Edd in a spirit of giggles.

" _Well, then. You're ready for the next big change in your bodies: Presentation. This is another change in the body that will begin to affect you in the next few years of life_."

Matt frowned, head leaning on Tom's shoulder as he always had it during video times in class, when he could.

" _There are boys and girls, you see. You have been told that usually it is the woman that has a child, but as many of you know, there are special people that can change the role_."

Some giggle erupted from where Eduardo sat, Edd heard, and he wondered what the other boy knew of this. The video began to display the necessary images needed to describe puberty - for the second time - in that wonderful kid friendly way that usually left them more confused than informed.

" _There are three kinds of these special people that have cells, called Gender Specification Cells or GS cells, that can tell their bodies to change from what usually happens. They can actually be told apart by smell, something that people without these special cells can't notice_."

Tom yawned.

" _The first are Alphas. Alphas are a bit more aggressive around the time that they are ready to have children, which happens every few months. This way, the person that they choose to start a family with feels safe and loved. That's something that is normal with every relationship, but it is stronger with Alphas, the urge to protect. They do not carry children at all, no matter if they are a man or a woman._

" _Betas are not much different than the people that don't have the GS cells, but they are able to tell who has the GS cells and who doesn't by smell. Depending on who they have a family with, they will be more protective or be more willing to be taken care of. They cannot carry children without extreme help, or they can carry if they are a woman. This brings us to our last group._

" _Omegas are the most rare of the three genders. They all have a time every few months where their body is ready to have a child. Because of this, their bodies can be a bit weaker, though it's not a common thing to see with Omegas. Betas and Alphas have a strong urge to take care of Omegas, especially when they are carrying a baby_."

Tom and Matt sat up at that. One of them could carry a baby?! They all looked at each other, Edd blushing at the thought and staring into the distance. Edd just shook his head, trying to understand what these three things just had to do with him.

" _Now then, what does that mean for all of you, young boys who aren't thinking of families just yet? Within the next few years, you will find out if you Present or never do. It is normal, no matter what happens. However, if you do or do not Present, you must register your Presentation Status. It will be next to your name on your Citizen Identification Card._

" _Don't worry about Presenting or not, boys. It's just a part of growing up!_ "

* * *

"Any questions children?"

Matt raised his hand up, and he was called upon.

"How do you know if you won't ever Present?"

The nurse smiled, saying that a doctor can draw blood and find out.

"It has to do with hormones in the body, which are natural body chemicals. Depending on the levels, a doctor can determine what your Presentation will be or if you are missing the Cells."

"What if you don't want to Present?"

"What if you do want to Present but won't?"

One after another, answers were given. Edd kept his mouth shut tightly, hearing more and more of Eduardo's comments, some things concerning Omegas and Alphas.

"Eduardo, you're whispering quite a bit," the nurse said, eyes critical. "What are you talking about?"

Eduardo finally shut his mouth and sat there, blushing. "Um... My dad said something about Omegas."

"What has he said?"

"He said that when they're in Heat, they never care what Alpha comes to them." Eduardo scoffed. "So is it true that they'll try to 'have a baby' with anybody that's there?"

Edd tried to understand why Eduardo sounded like he already knew the answer, but it didn't seem like a good one.

"Eduardo, 'Heat' is not a proper term. The time for an Omega is called 'ciecka'. As for your actual question, this is not true," the nurse protested. "The same way that marriage can bring two people together, the connection between partners with the GS cells is a powerful one. It is hard to break, but it can."

* * *

After the nurse was done with questions, she dismissed them all back to their seats, and soon the girls came back in to join them. Edd could hear things about "bonding" and "Alpha-Omega bonds" from their lips, like it was something amazing.

"Veronica, what do you think you'll be?"

"What do you think  _he_ 'll be?" someone said, but Edd couldn't tell who they were talking about.

Mark was laughing loudly, saying something about Edd and his friends.

"I bet that they go into Heat."

Tom stood up and went to go punch them. Matt moved to talk to the teacher about music time - "Five minutes, please, miss!" - and Edd just moved to his desk.

"Edd? Are you okay?"

Edd lifted his head and saw Tord standing in front of his desk.

"Uh..." Tord blinked and seemed to realize that Edd didn't have a real answer to give him. He sighed.

"What a dumb lesson, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Edd bit his lip. "Um, Tord? Why did you go with some of the other kids? Where'd you go?"

"Oh, that." Tord crossed his arms behind his head. "Well, when you have Presented, you get special lessons, I guess. It's basically to make sure that you aren't an asshole to anybody who is a different Presentation than you."

"You've already..?" Edd felt his face burn a bit. "C-Can I... No, I'm sorry."

Tord smiled and leant in really close, so close that Edd could smell the scent that made his blood burn when they were on the playground.

"I'm an Alpha."

"O-oh."

He heard Tom come to sit next to him again. Tord said hello to Tom and teased him, as usual, before going to sit behind him. Matt came to sit down, pouting that there was no music time. Edd didn't pay attention for the rest of the class. He followed lessons with only a small amount of excitement compared to how he usually felt.

Edd only wondered how long he would make it until his "ciecka" would ruin everything for him, 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Nar naat see (နာနတ်သီး) - Myanmar (Burmese) for Pineapple  
> We love you all. And remember:
> 
> you're beautiful


End file.
